Big Unit Tries Some Little Throws, Is Considering Wednesday Outing
Randy Johnson inched closer to a mound Sunday, playing catch for the first time in 11 days and then throwing a handful of pitches.
“The good news is he’s much improved,” manager Lou Piniella said. “The not-so-good news is he may not be ready to pitch for us on Wednesday.”
At issue is the middle finger of Johnson’s left hand and the tendinitis there that has made throwing an uncomfortable proposition since Johnson’s last start Aug. 20. When he last attempted to throw, last week in the Kingdome, he threw the ball six times and quit.
Sunday he played long toss with pitching coach Nardi Contreras before the Dodgers-Mariners game.
“He threw 35 times long and about 12 pitches,” Contreras said. “Now we wait and see how he feels (today). If he’s OK, we’ll have bullpen session, just as we would between his starts, and it’s possible he could go Wednesday.”
Johnson said the discomfort remains, but that as the season slides away he is aware there is little time left in which to help the Mariners. If he has to pitch with tenderness, he said, he is willing to try.
Trainers and team doctors will re-evaluate Johnson today, but Piniella said the final decision will rest with the left-handed pitcher.
“He has to tell us when he can go,” Piniella said. “If we rush him and he’s not ready, we could lose him for a longer stretch. If he can’t go, one option we have is to go with a four-man rotation.”
If Seattle does that, the rotation would be Jamie Moyer, Jeff Fassero, Omar Olivares and Ken Cloude.
Notes
The bruised ribs that forced Mike Blowers out of the lineup Saturday will probably keep him out for another week to 10 days, though with the roster expanding today there is no reason to put him on the disabled list.
“Bruised ribs can be as painful as broken ribs,” trainer Rick Griffin said. “We’ve shut him down.”
On paper, pitcher Ken Cloude is now a Memphis Chick, having been optioned to that Class AA team on Saturday. In reality, Cloude is with the Mariners and had a bullpen session before the game Sunday - then dressed in street clothes and watched the game. He’ll be added to the roster today when the Mariners begin making September call-ups. … Dodgers right-hander Tom Candiotti turned 40 this month, and his wife gave him his own Internet website: www.tomcandiotti.com.
Coming up
Seattle opens a two-game homestand today with a 5:05 p.m. start against the San Diego Padres. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Northwest. Probable starting pitchers are Joey Hamilton (10-4, 4.34) vs. Jeff Fassero (13-8, 3.96).